Old and busted: whirling flying saucers. The new hotness: triangular-shaped vessels. It seems Unidentified Flying Objects’ shapes are changing with the times–or maybe with TV shows.

This week, the British Government released its fifth batch of files on alleged UFO sightings within the country, this set dating from from 1994 to 2000. The files total more than 6,000 pages and were released by the Ministry of Defense and the National Archives. What struck experts most was the changing shape of the reported UFOs.

CNN reports that the shift may have come about because of popular notions of what futuristic tech would look like:

“In the 1950s the next big leap in technology was thought to be a round craft that took off vertically, and it’s intriguing to note that this is the same period when people began to report seeing ‘flying saucers’ in the sky,” said David Clarke, author of a book called The UFO Files and a journalism lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. He pointed out that in the years covered by the latest file release, triangle-shaped U.S. stealth bombers and Aurora spy planes featured heavily on TV shows like “The X-Files” and movies like Independence Day.

But perhaps the most novel sighting was by a man who was presumably very hungry. He saw a “Toblerone-shaped” UFO hovering over Ananndale, Scotland. Those of you with a mouth full of sweet teeth know Toblerone to be a triangular-shaped Swiss chocolate bar.

Very interesting. I have always figured 99% of all sightings were misidentified common objects. However, why do I still want to believe that some sightings are actually other-worldly beings even though my practical mind is saying they aren’t?

http://feralboy12.com feralboy12

I recall reading many years ago that before the saucers, people reported big cigar-shaped objects in the sky.
Of course, this may indicate different aliens visiting Earth or the advancement of alien technology.
Or not.

Loic

With all those files now available, could someone point me to reports of a UFO having the following description :

– A stationary “circle” composed of a number of black objects or spheres (picture a pearl necklace…).

This is the only UFO I’ve ever seen, with a few other witnesses who parked their car to stare at it (it was high in the sky and did not move)

I saw this in France near Soissons ( départment 02 ) around 1990. It was during the day, maybe around 5 or 6 pm.

I haven’t seen any mention of something like that in the documents released so far (french documents included) but I’d be glad to see an official report about this or something similar, especially if it comes with an explanation.

Deborah Hart

There are three very good reasons I can think of why the shapes have changed so much from the sightings of years ago and the more recent:
1. just as our car models have changed shape over the years, I am sure ETs have also found designs that are more (aero)dynamic, and pleasing to their eyes.
2.It could also be that the ETs who came in saucers don’t get by our way as much as they used to, whereas (an)other group(s) entirely is/are now making frequent visits.
3. The delta shaped craft belonging to us are in constant, ongoing use. There can’t be much doubt that a fair percentage of sightings ARE from these.

Ian Lindsey

It would make sense that if these objects are alien products, the variety of shapes could be explained by either one culture tinkering with the designs to get the most efficient performance, or that they are the products of different cultures that use similar designs (perhaps if only a select number that exist are known to each other, they may have traded or collaborated in different designs). There is also the possiblity – no matter how remote – that these objects not only come from another alien culture but that they may be capable of time travel. This would explain sightings in our ancient past as well as our present. There is even the possibility some of the objects are from our own future culture (the delta shaped type for example). It would also explain why most “close encounters of the third kind” are not as common as the others. No doubt anyone visiting from our future would be prohibited from interacting with us in order to prevent altering their own time frame. This would also apply to any of the alien cultures. The “third encounters” that have been said to have taken place could be either “rogue” entities acting outside established guidelines, or could even be entities purposely interfering in order to correct “time glitches” – created by the aforementioned rogues or by accidents. Even the strange appearance and behaviour of some of the objects sighted (as well as ET sightings) could be the result of the physical effects of time travel (or even “parallel universe” jumping) – the quick vanishing and reappearance of the same object or objects in different parts of the sky, and such odd physical characteristics of the ET’s. They may have been genetically manufactured for the purpose of these types of travel, as the mechanics involved may have some type of biological limits. Now there may be readers who object to the ideas of time travel and multiverses, but keep in mind that many scientists regard these possibilities as having to be more probable that alien cultures visiting us.